The Phantom's Ring
by Feather Dancer
Summary: Larissa knows the ring from Paris is strange. If frightens her. But when she's haunted by horrid dreams, has odd visions and meets the mysterious Jason with his haunting golden eyes, Lara know she has a mystery to solve. Plz have a look for more info!
1. Chapter 1

_Dear Read,_

_Just thought I would give some more information on this story. _

_First : Its not set in the book, the musical or film. It is set today. / __Two: Only one character is acturally involved in story, though others are mentioned. / __Three: I am unsure about what combination of characters will happen. Maybe E/OC, maybe not. (I know though it won't be a E/C story just to tell you now!) / __Four: This story is quite different I think so be open minded to it please. If at all interested please give this chapter a read and see what you think. Please give me a review and tell me what you thought of it.(c__onstructive criticism welcome, but any down right nasty reviews which have no point to them shall be ignored.) __Anyhow I hope you enjoy this chapter and future ones and thank you very much for taking the time to sit down and read this! I apologise now if its a bit long! :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own and characters from POTO who are involved or refered to in this story, (though like many, I wish I did!)._

_But I DO own Larissa, Tawny, Jason and any other charcters who may come in or be briefly met!_

_Alright, I have had my say now for the story! Thank you again and I look forward to your reviews!_

_FD *-*_

* * *

_**Chapter One**_

It was a pretty ring.

Larissa laid on her back in bed, gently twirling the ring in her fingers thoughtfully.

It was beautiful indeed. It had a thin band of pure gold which was intricately designed to look like vines and leaves. Then there was a vibrant red ruby, carved carefully into the shape of a rose with the gold vines wrapped beautifully around it.

It still stunned her that she just happened to find it. Didn't someone look in the old, little wooden carved box when it was deposited at the antique store? Didn't they see that small bump under the red lining of the box? If they had, they _defiantly _would have taken it out!

Larissa would normally have felt awfully guilty for taking it, but she only found it when she was back in England. She couldn't very well go back to Paris to return it!

Even if she did have the opportunity to go back and return it, though she told herself she would, Larissa knew deep in her heart that she adored it and wouldn't give it back now.

Anyhow, she had brought the box it was in, so technically she had brought _it_ too.

It stayed in the little box she found it in, that was where it lived, sitting patiently on her beside table. She often found herself taking it out and rolling it between her fingers. All ways looking at it and touching it but never wearing it.

Something inside her told her not to put it on. Whispered warnings she couldn't understand. Something terrible. But that was stupid. It was just a ring!

Still, she hadn't found the courage to ignore that part of her and slip it on her finger.

But presently, just observing it was fine with her.

She showed it to Tawny when she came round, telling her how she acquired the little stowaway.

"It was in the box under the corner of the lining here," Larissa said, opening the box and flipping the loose corner of the faded red velvet lining.

"Really!" Tawny exclaimed, taking the box and examining it. "Wow, that is so cool! Let's see it then!" she quickly added, snapping the box shut and placing it back on the table.

Larissa rolled her eyes then opened her hand to where the ring sat cool and glimmering on her palm.

Tawny gasped, eyes flaring wide in wonder as she reached almost timidly out to touch it, then picked it carefully off Larissa's palm and quickly placed it on her own.

"Oh Lara!" Tawny murmured, "Its beautiful!"

"I know." Lara agreed, sitting on her bed beside Tawny and watching the gold and red catch every bit of light possible, making it have a permanent glimmer. Even in the dark it seemed to glow with a magical sparkle.

"So you got this from Paris?" Tawny confirmed, eyes still glued to the ring like a magpie eyeing the newest treasure it planned to take.

Larissa nodded, "Yup. I wonder who owned it?"

"Clearly the same person who owned the box." Tawny unhelpfully said.

"I know, but who were they? And why hide such a beautiful and expensive ring? Makes no sense…"

"Well," Tawny suddenly exclaimed, reverting back to normal and placing the ring back into Larissa's waiting hand. "guess you will never know."

Larissa sighed unhappily, half a smile managing to pull her lips, "Guess I won't." She wanted to though. She wanted to know everything about it. She liked mysteries, but this would just bug her for as long as she owned the ring and since she knew she would never let it leave her, then she would be in constantly wondering all her life. But she needed to know. What was the rings history. Why was it in the box? Who had put it there? Why had-

"What does it look like on?" Tawny asked suddenly, making Lara snap her head round in shock to her friend suddenly speaking and drawing her out of her thoughts.

"On?" She repeated a little stupidly, "I have never tried it on."

"What!?" Tawny screeched, "Why not!?"

Lara bit her lip and shrugged sheepishly, "I don't know," she mumbled, absentmindedly running her finger around the ring, "I just…haven't."

"Try it on now then! Go on! I want to see what it looks like!"

Larissa knew it was such a simple thing to just put the ring on, yet she was still fighting that part of her that was set on _never_ putting it on. But she just should, should just close her eyes and slip it on. It was just a ring…

Lara closed her hand about the ring suddenly, leaning over to the box where it sat back on her bedside table, flicked the lip up, dropped the ring in and shut it.

"What you doing?" Tawny questioned, "I thought you were going to out it on?"

Lara shrugged again, biting her thumbnail and mumbling some feeble excuse about not wanting to damaging it or something.

Tawny laughed and playfully pushed Lara, "You won't damage it, okay? Just put it on! No! Put it on tomorrow! Come to school in it! Show it off! You can't leave it in that box forever."

_Wanna bet? _Lara thought back, the idea of the ring staying in its box being quiet a good one.

Tawny whined and moaned at Lara till she gave in and made her promise she would wear it to school tomorrow for at least first lesson. Only one lesson, Lara could live with that. Only one lesson.

* * *

She had the first dream that night.

Larissa was standing in the centre of some dully lit room. It was octagonal in shape, and the walls were made up completely of mirrors so all she saw was herself repeated eight times over.

There was a light coming from somewhere beyond the mirror in front of her, she could see it glimmering tauntingly.

And as she stepped towards it across the cold, mirrored floor and as she drew closer, she began to hear singing.

It was a distant sound, soft and full of promises of greatness, of magic, of love…

It was coming from beyond the mirror with the light, and as she pressed her ear against the cool surface she felt that only the thin glass wall held her apart from that truly beautiful and angelic voice.

She had to reach it.

Overtaken by this frightening urge to be nearer to that voice, Lara began to thump her fists against the wall, shouting at the top of her lungs but finding herself unable to make any noise. Even the drumming of her hands on the glass was nonexistent.

Yet the singer could not hear her and continued to create their enchanting sound, taunting and beckoning her. The sound coursed into the room, filling it like water till the mirrors were vibrating furiously with the unearthly tune that rang through them.

Lara shot back from the mirrors as they quaked and shivered violently, her eight images distorted madly like fun house mirrors.

Suddenly they imploded.

Glass shot out at Larissa. She let out a silent cry as all the glass from every mirror burst into millions of shards and showered her in tiny sparkling shards.

But then, like someone had pressed the reverse button on a video, the glass leaped of the ground and her and fell back into place in the mirror they came from.

Within seconds the mirrors were recreated, but the glass was still destroyed and broken in their frames.

Then Lara saw her reflection in those shattered mirrors. She wasn't herself, her whole body was twisted and warped but it was her face which terrified her.

It was torn apart like ravaged by some animal, flesh and bone all one, her eyes gleamed like flames, her lips were mangled beyond recognition.

She was surrounded by these eight images of herself, all as ghastly as the next as she spun round in horror, unable to escape and silently screaming.

Then she woke up.

She was breathing frantically like she had been running, heart pounding and her whole body covered in sticky sweat.

Her mouth was dry and she had to go and get a glass of water, but the simple routine helped calm her and when she returned to bed, she was in a peaceful and resolved state of mind that she could go back to sleep unafraid.

But before she drifted off, Lara lifted the lid of the carved box and drew out the ring, twirling it in her fingers again.

It was so beautiful. So mysterious. So calming. So unnerving.

That was it. That was what made Lara so unwilling to wear it, it unnerved her.

But tomorrow she would have to get over that as she had promised to wear it and she didn't like breaking promises.

It was no big deal. It was just like wearing any other piece of jewellery. Nothing special. It was just a ring.

* * *

_You have read to the end! Thank you! Please give me a review! Thanks once more! :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Dear Reader,_

_Thank you for your reviews! I would just like to ask that any readers if you spot a spelling or gramma that is off please tell me. I frequantly miss them when I read over so anything you notice please tell me! Thank you once more!_

_FD ;)_

* * *

**_Chapter Two_**

"Just put on the ring, just do it, its only a ring…"

Larissa stood staring at the ring sitting silently and glimmering on her palm, her furious mutterings not achieving in making her anymore willing to put the ring on.

She had showered, had breakfast and was dressed in her uniform ready for school, she had been ready for the past half hour. And all that time she had been struggling to even attempt at putting the ring on.

She had been dreading this all morning, had been trying to be as slow as possible in getting up and showering and such so she could truthfully tell Tawny she didn't have time to put it on. But somehow she was quicker then normal and had an hour to get herself to slip on the ring.

That sense of unnerving fear was bubbling in her again, her hand shaking slightly and sweat breaking out over her skin and trickling down her spin chillingly.

Something deep within her knew something she didn't. It knew why she shouldn't ever wear the ring. Yet Larissa couldn't grasp what it was or even begin to decipher the code of this uneasy feeling to reveal it.

"Just put the damn thing on," Lara murmured, angry at herself now. She had to put it on, not for Tawny, but herself. She couldn't be afraid of a ring! It was foolish, childish and insane. She had to get over it or it would drive her mad!

Picking the ring of her palm, she decided to place it on the third finger of her right hand and began to move it forward. But she couldn't make it slip on. Her hand was shaking so much and the sweat ran so thick that the ring slipped out her grasp and bounced to her wooden bedroom floor with a little, musical clang.

Dropping down onto her bed, Larissa let out a long breath and whipped the sweat away from her forehead.

It was just a ring.

Just a simple, pretty, metal ring.

A ring Larissa would never wear because of some idiotic and indescribable feeling of unease.

"Pathetic." she mumbled miserably, sitting up and looking down at the ring that sat just before her feet.

It was so glamorous, to never wear it would be a such a waste. Giving it to someone else or selling it made sense then, but Larissa knew she couldn't part with it. Though it unnerved her, she adored it, and couldn't imagine giving it away to some stranger.

"You are an absolute twit." she told herself softly, glancing over to her clocek on her bedside table and seeing she only had twenty minuets to walk to school.

She leapt up quickly, running into her bathroom to splash some water over her face, then pelted down the stairs, grabbed her bag, shoved on her shoes and leapt out the house.

With the bang of the front door, Larissa was gone.

And somehow from Larissa's floor, the ring was also gone.

* * *

"So where is it?" Tawny demanded as she slumped into her seat next to Larissa in English class.

"Where's what?" Larissa asked innocently, like she didn't know.

"The ring! You said you would wear it today." her friend quickly said, staring at Lara's fingers in dismay. "You're not wearing it! Why not?"

Larissa shrugged, saying she ran out of time but Tawny knew her all to well and smelled the lie before it left Lara's lips.

"Whatever! You always have time in the morning. What's the _real_ reason?"

Lara, after gulping to moisten her dry throat, managed to stutter an explanation of the strange, unexplainable loathing towards wearing the ring. She tried to tell Tawny how uncomfortable she felt when trying to put it on, tried to explain her fear.

Tawny listened and looked blank because she knew Lara wasn't lying but didn't know at all what to make of this strangeness her friend spoke of. It sounded mad, but Tawny could tell by Lara's nervous shifting in her seat and clenched hands she really felt all she told of.

"Maybe it's all just in your mind." Tawny said, quickly realising they were the wrong words to say and continued hurriedly on to add, "Or maybe its because of the fact you sort of accidentally stole it."

Lara was caught by this, "You think?" she asked, frowning as she thought about it herself.

"Yeh, you feel guilty so you think you should never wear it."

Lara nodded distractedly, pondering on this idea. It made sense, she did feel guilt about taking it though she knew she shouldn't because it was an accident. So in creating this fear of it, meant she had another reason why she should never have to wear the ring.

"I think you're right," Lara said, smiling to Tawny thankfully.

"Of course I'm right!" Tawny boasted playfully, flicking her black hair over her shoulder and laughing "I _always_ am!"

Lara joined in her laughter, running her hand through her own hair. Her carrot ginger, part curly, part straight hair. She never liked her hair, she wanted to dye it but mum wouldn't let her. She wanted hair like Tawny's, long, black, flowing and beautiful. She wanted vibrant green eyes like Tawny's, not her dull silver ones. She wanted a slim and graceful body like Tawny's, not a plain, shapeless one of a child's. She was 16, she was supposed to have a woman's figure, like Tawny and all the other girls, yet she still didn't.

Letting her head fall into her waiting hands, Lara tried not to dwell on all the faults of her, though they were many, she tried to search for some little glimmer of light about her that she could cling to.

It came to her quickly, surfacing to her like an old friend waiting to make her feel happy and special.

_My voice_, she thought with a smile, _my singing voice._

Though she suffered from chronic stage fright, anyone who was lucky enough to hear her sing in the shower or when she was plugged into her MP3 player and unaware she had begun to sing said she had an incredible talent. They all gushed with praise and talked of how she should get herself on stage or try to become a famous singer. But Lara couldn't sing in front of people, she just froze or fainted or threw up like on one occasion. She had long since given up any hope of trying to flaunt her only good point.

As the teacher began to take the register, Lara drew herself back to the present and forced her mind to focus, following the words begin read aloud from the book "Of Mice and Men". She was glad she hadn't been asked to read, she hated reading in class and found it far more easier to just let the words drift past her eyes and imagine the action taking place in her head.

It was about halfway through the lesson when Larissa become aware of something small in her trouser pocket that was digging into her hip.

After a while of trying to figure out what it was as she was sure their was nothing in her pocket the last time she looked, she finally gave up and decided to find out.

Leaning back in her chair, she shoved her hand in her right pocked of her dull black trousers and drew out what pained her.

She was frozen with shock to see clasped in her fingers was the ring.

"You have it!" Tawny suddenly whispered in Lara's ear, making her jump and quickly lay her hand flat on the desk with the ring hidden beneath it.

"I thought you said you left it at home?" Tawny added, barely moving her lips so the short, bald, round little man that was the teacher, Mr. Gritten, wouldn't hear her with his dog-like hearing and make her read aloud.

Lara was unable to draw words to her mouth, she was confused and mystified and shocked thus beyond verbal communication.

It was left at home. It was left where it had been dropped upon the floor. In her rush to get out the house she hadn't even put it away in its box. It was left sitting on the middle of the floor next to her bed.

_Then why the hell do I have it now?! _Lara's mind screamed at her, making her believe what sat beneath her hand. It was there. It had somehow just appeared in her pocket, she was sure of it. She had a clear memory of leaving it on the floor, she didn't touch it, she was positive. It. Shouldn't. Be. Here!

It was though, there beneath her hand, its little gold leaves digging into her palm and the gold and ruby were oddly cold.

"You okay, Lara?" Tawny mumbled, looking at her friend with concern at seeing her quivering open mouth and eyes that looked like they would pop out her skull like a cartoons.

Gulping, Larissa managed to nod, lifting her hand to glimpse the ring shimmering on the dull green, plastic table top.

It seemed far shinier and beautiful then normal against the plain table top covered in graffiti of past bored students. Lara was fixated by how suddenly enchanting it was and found herself unable to look at anything else. As her eyes blurred to everything but the ring and she was sure it began to glow. A pure white light was being admitted from it, like some celestial glow of a star. And as the light increased gently, a low but clearly magnificent murmured signing grew with it.

Lara suddenly couldn't breath as the voice increased and flooded her head like a sweet water that was drowning her while enchanting her.

She had heard this voice before. This unearthly singing was familiar.

Then she realised why with a gasp.

Her dream.

It was the same voice beckoning to her beyond the mirror with the light.

The same light that possessed the ring now.

This was too much. That sweet water was going to drown her quickly if she didn't block out this madness and grasp reality.

Reality was gone though. There was only her being softly consumed by the light and song.

Lara didn't realise that in reality she had closed her eyes and was swaying gently, her hand had lifted off the ring and was softly slipping it on to her ring finger. And once she had put it firmly on, she suddenly collapsed into unconsciousness and fell off her chair.

But in her mind, she was blinded by beautiful white light and the heavenly voice lulling her until that also faded to nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter Three_**

Larissa couldn't see anything.

She was floating in an abyss of nothing. She was lost in a soft cloud of consuming darkness that soothed her till she felt unreal. Her body no longer existed, she was just a floating consciousness upon a sea of black beauty.

The singing had abandoned her as had the light, yet she didn't feel alone. Somewhere something was near. Like a body pressing close against a sheet of glass that separated them there was a presences hovering, watching her drift in this blissful nothingness.

Until gently, like raindrops running down a window, a picture began to seep into Larissa's dark serenity. It came in splatters, drips of colour here and there until it flooded into her blackness and drew here into a scene.

She was in a small room, but it was a fantastic small room. Its walls were a vibrant peach colour and the floor was made of a varnished and freshly waxed wood. A large, golden yellow rag rug was laid out on the middle of the floor, hiding most of the shinny wooden floor. There was a large, glorious wardrobe against one wall, a beautiful velvet couch beside it and vases of richly smelling flowers sitting on little tables spread about the room.

Then there was the mirror.

It was the largest and most beautiful mirror Larissa had ever seen. It took up most of the back wall in this room, dominating it easily with its glimmering immensity. It appeared to Lara to have some sort of angelic glow seeping off it, but she dismissed it quickly. Don't be silly! Mirrors don't glow! Then again, nor should rings…

The room, which Larissa somehow new was use to bright light and activity in it, was instead dimly lit by one candle sitting upon a writing desk.

And sitting at this desk was a girl.

She was a delicate creature. Pale pink skin on graceful limbs, golden hair like corn in summer light flooded down her back and spilled over her shoulders. She had eyes of glossy silver which twinkled like stars in the candle light and a soft featured, heart shaped face to finish off her perfect appearance.

Larissa hated her instantly. She was so beautiful and angelic that all she needed were angel white wings and a shining halo to finish off the look!

Larissa was confounded by why she was seeing this girl instead of enjoying the dark bliss of before. But it confounded her even more that she had this strong nagging feeling that she recognised this girl somehow. She had never seen her before. Yet she somehow knew her. But as hard as she tried, Larissa couldn't figure out how! She had no clue who this angel girl was.

Drawing her eyes back to the girl (or young woman as she was about her late teens, early twenties by the looks of it) Larissa watched the girl furiously write something down on a sheet of paper, seeming so deeply engrossed in her work Larissa wondered if she wouldn't notice the singing.

Larissa had heard it as soon as the first light, godly note was sung. She couldn't possibly miss the voice that had begun to haunt her lately.

It grew steadily, consuming the room in its sound, seeping effortless through the mirror and entering like some secrete guest.

That was where it was coming from. That large, glorious mirror. It was being emitted from it like music from stereo speakers, becoming louder and purer as it filtered through the glass.

Larissa remembered her dream again with the voice beyond the room of mirrors, the voice she couldn't reach, the voice that didn't hear her cry out to it.

Suddenly all she wanted to do was move towards that voice, to pass like the ghost she felt like through the mirror and see the singer. She wanted to watch them create there unearthly song. She wanted them to sing to _her._

But here, in this mysterious room, Larissa was just a bodiless onlooker, listening to that voice sing out not to her but the girl!

Envy would have grasped Larissa if she wasn't swept away in a wave of confusion and intrigue at watching this beautiful girl being sung to by the very same voice that had sung to her!

The pen slipped from the girl's grasp as she heard the song for the first time. She sat slowly up straight and turned mechanically round in her chair to look towards the mirror.

The voice, like it knew it had her attention, sung more forcefully and gloriously, drawing her towards the glass that hid it.

The girl rose from her chair, a strange look of ecstasy had drifted over her face and her eyes were wide with an unspoken pleasure and joy at hearing that voice.

Walking like a zombie up to the glass, the girl stood only a step away from it, gazing upon the reflection of herself with dreamy adoration. The girl swayed on her feet and Larissa thought she might pass out, but she didn't. Instead, her hand suddenly lifted, reached out across the gap and laid flat against the glass.

And the singing abruptly stopped.

The girls face instantly fell into one of misery and horror.

"No." she breathed in disbelief, pressing her other hand against the glass too, her breathing becoming fast and short.

"No! Come back! Please! Angel come back!" she cried, hitting her hands against the glass in her fury, "Please! My Angel! My Angel of Music! Please, come back!"

Tears were stealing down her perfect cheeks, and Larissa felt her sadness and pain. She had heard that voice, let its enchanting notes embrace her till it had taken over and took her away from reality. So to suddenly have it stop so sharply that reality hit with cruel force must be horrible. She didn't want to imagine what it must feel like. Watching the girl was bad enough.

The girl was angry was well as miserable now. While she cried she thumped her fists against the glass, repeating over and over again "My Angel of Music! My Angel! Come back! My Angel! My Angel!"

Unable to help her in anyway, Larissa watched the girl succumb to her tears and collapse to the floor, hugging her knees and sobbing bitterly.

"Please come back." she mumbled, her silver eyes now surrounded by red puffiness staring fixedly at the glass, "You were sent to me, Angel. Father sent you to me."

"Yes, he did."

Larissa and the girl both shared an expression of shock and joy at hearing this amazingly beautiful voice speak out from the mirror so suddenly.

The girl jumped up, pressing her hands to the mirror then rested her cheek against it to and closed her eyes, smiling.

"Angel of Music, you have found me." she breathed in happiness.

"Yes my child, I have found you." the unearthly voice replied, its deep, passionate, male tone wrapping around the girl like an embrace. And unintentionally, it wrapped a little around Larissa too. It was the most enchanting and incredible voice she had ever heard!

"Why did you not come sooner?" the girl asked lightly, her joy still growing, "I had begun to loose faith in you."

"I had to wait till you were ready, my child," the voice replied in a tone very gentle and caring, like a father speaking to his beloved daughter after not seeing her for years. "I had to wait till I was needed."

"But I have always needed you!" the girl cried, pulling back from the mirror but keeping her hands there, like she feared the voice would vanish if she didn't hold on to the mirror. "I have been alone for so long!"

"I know, my child, I know. But I am here now, and I shall not leave you."

The girl let out a long, relieved sigh and leaned against the mirror, moving her fingers around in circles caressingly on the glass and saying "Promise you will never leave me."

There was a pause, thoughtful and contemplating from the mirror, before the voice truthfully replied, "I promise."

The girl closed her eyes again and smiled, tears of joy sparkling in her eyes when she opened them again, "Thank you." she breathed, kissing the glass softly.

There was silence beyond the mirror, but Larissa was sure she heard a weak sigh of bliss resonate from behind it, before the voice composed itself and said, "Now my child, we have many years of singing lessons to catch up upon, so I believe we should begin now. Are you ready?"

The girl stepped back from the mirror suddenly, like obeying an unspoken command and with her eyes full of glimmering hope she nodded and replied, "I think so, my Angel."

"Very well, we shall begin…"

Larissa wished she could have seen and heard more, but the image was dragged away from her in a fast and cruel flash and she was left in the dark silence again. But it was no longer peacefully and enjoyable, but lonely and cold. That strange vision had left her with too many questions running around her head, making her feel sick and confused. She wanted to wake up now. She wanted to be embraced by sunlight. She wanted to hear the voices of her friends. She wanted reality to claim her again.

And like the spell was broken, snapped apart like a brittle twig, the darkness shot away from her and Lara flew towards light and awoke into reality and life again.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four**_

She was in someone's arms.

Larissa heard voices about her, Tawny's was the loudest and closet to her. But she was more aware of the arms that were about her.

She was being bridal carried somewhere by someone. Larissa was confounded, and desperately wanted to see who was carrying her but she couldn't seem to make her eyes open. They felt heavy and locked shut, even though her mind was completely awake and alert to the bustling sounds of the school about her.

Her head was against a chest, a oddly cold, strong chest. A heart was thumbing excitedly fast within that chest, she could hear it clearly and was overwhelmed by it like it was some strange, hypnotic rhythm lulling her into senselessness again. She refused to go under again though, and clung to reality and concentrated only on Tawny's voice.

"Don't drop her, watch where your going and stop rolling your eyes at me!"

Larissa mentally chuckled, listening to her friend continue to rant to whoever carried her, telling them to be careful. Lara didn't know what Tawny was worrying about though, she could tell by the locked muscles that held her that whoever carried her was making damn sure they didn't drop her.

When she was finally put down somewhere, Lara knew it was the sick room, and she was laying on the old sofa in there. It was always eerily quiet in the sick room, only the distant ringing of phones and mumbled murmur of distant voices could be heard, even Tawny fell silent when they entered.

Larissa was placed with the greatest care down on the sofa, feeling one of the four lumpy pillows beneath her head and already hurting her neck.

"I'm going to go tell the Receptionist to ring her mum, back in a mo." Tawny said in a small voice to Lara's quiet carrier, then with the sound of her soft footsteps and the click of a door closing she was gone.

Lara was aware that she was alone with the mysterious person, was aware of them beside where she laid and reaching out to tenderly take her hand. The skin was startlingly cold, like the person's chest except worst because there was no thin white shirt to shield her a little from the direct skin. The hand was shaking as it held hers and when her fingers twitched slightly under the coldness, it released her hand with a small jump from shock. They were afraid, slightly uneasy and unsure, Lara could sense it strongly as she began to rouse.

Carefully the hand grasped hers again, the unseen persons cold, strong thumb gently stoking the side of her hand as she began to slip closer into consciousness and her eyes obeyed her at last.

There was suddenly burning light, so bright and shocking that Lara let out a little gasp but it gradually lessened to normal brightness for her and she began to take in the sick room.

Dank yellow walls devoid of anything even pictures came into view first. In the middle of the wall in which the sofa was against was a single foggy window, slightly open and letting an annoying cold breeze slip in and chill Lara's right arm. Rolling her head gently, moving it to look about her Lara caught sight of the plain white ceiling before tipping her head right to look at the mysterious stranger beside her.

Like she guessed, he was male and vaguely familiar. He was from her class, he was in most of them if she was right expect PE but she had never really talked to him. What was his name?

While her mind frantically tried to come up with his name, she couldn't help but keep getting distracted by his attractiveness. He had pale skin, white glowing skin which sent a sudden twinge of familiarity through Lara but just as quickly it was gone and forgotten.

He had dark luscious hair that cascaded down over his face, shadowing his eyes which shone a stunning brilliant gold the momentarily took Lara's breath away. His face was defined and chiselled perfectly like a statues and was undeniably and hatefully flawless.

He was kneeling beside her, clasping her hand in his large but tender grip and his eyes were filled with a look that might be seen in the eyes of someone who suddenly found themselves looking upon an angel. This quite bemused and embarrassed Lara as she became herself, and really released how much she had awoken when she felt her cheeks burning.

He chuckled softly, the sound being deep and beautiful and gently he lifted one hand from hers and tenderly touched her burning cheek. The act took Lara by surprise and his sudden cool and affectionate touch made her blush even more, he chuckled again.

"You are even more beautiful when awake." he murmured softly, his smooth voice as lovely as his laugh.

Lara gulped as her throat became dry and her heart began to leap and her stomach filled with butterflies. Never had any guy ever said anything to her like that before. Never had any guy ever said anything remotely affectionate to her. Never had a guy looked on her with like and attraction such as he now did.

What on earth was his name!? Now the need to remember was overwhelming and Lara couldn't do anything else but desperately search her mind for the his name.

"You took a nasty fall," he said, his fingers carefully stroking her cooling cheek, his eyes filling with unhidden care, "But luckily I was there to pick you up again."

Lara's concentration was broken by his words as her heart leaped wildly out of rhythm and felt like it would leap free of her chest. Who talked like that? What guy spoke like that? And why, when one now decided too, were they saying it to her? Why say it to unimportant and plain Larissa Swift?

"How do you feel?" He asked then, the fact that it required Larissa to answer took her by surprise and she opened and closed her mouth several times before managing to stutter, "Okay."

He chuckled again, removing his hand from her cheek and placed it back onto her hand. Shockingly, as soon as he had taken his hand from her cheek Lara missed it and really wanted it back. It stunned her how much she wanted to feel that touch again.

"That's wonderful to hear, I worried you would be hurt by the fall." he said almost apologetically, like her passing out was somehow his fault.

"I feel fine." she said reassuringly, smiling.

He beamed brightly at her smile, and Lara found his smile very satisfying to see. It was a gorgeous sight, like the rest of him was.

"I just take a moment to say," he said suddenly, gazing down towards the hand he clasped, "that this ring is very striking."

Instantly, like shocked with electricity, Lara sat up sharply, giving herself head rush but ignoring it as best as possible to stare at her left hand after she had pulled it free of his grasp.

She had to be imagining it. It had to be some illusion caused by her passing out. It had to be wrong. It had to be.

She never remembered putting the ring on, especial not on her ring finger.

But there it was, sitting snugly and comfortably on her ring finger, feeling like it belonged there and had been the thing missing from her finger all her life.

"I…I…I didn't…I never…" and Lara began but her mumbled stuttering of stunned disbelief dispersed into nothing and instead she took hold of the ring and pulled.

It didn't move.

Lara panicked and pulled at it again and again but it wouldn't budge.

"Oh Hell," she breathed, frightened. Why did the ring feel so comfortable but was somehow supposedly so tight she couldn't make it move even a little? No, it didn't add up, it made no sense, it wasn't tight. Then why wouldn't it move?

"Are you alright?" he, who Lara had completely forgotten about in her fright, asked in worried confusion.

"I can't get this ring off. Its stuck and I want it off! I want it off!" Lara blubbered in her panicked fear as tears began to prick her eyes.

"Hush, hush my dear," he suddenly said, reacting instantly to her sadness and getting of the floor and sitting beside her. For a few moments that's all he did, then, a little hesitantly, he wrapped an arm around her, then his other and drew her into his chest.

"Hush now, it's a reaction to the shock." he said softly into her hair, "It's all alright."

Lara sunk into his arms, unable to believe what was happening to her. No guy had ever held her like this. No guy had even touched her arm in a slightly affectionate way, this was utterly a new experience for her.

"Sorry I'm pathetic." Lara sniffed, pulling away and wiping her eyes, feeling self-conscious of how much of baby she was being.

He chuckled kindly, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "Don't be foolish, you are not pathetic, not in the least."

Lara smiled and took a few deep breaths, looking down at the ring again.

"It looks perfect on you, if that make you feel any better about it." he said, smiling truthfully to her.

Lara laughed lightly, now admiring the ring, "Guess it looks good. By the way, I know this sounds really bad but I can't remember your name." Lara admitted, blushing again and chewing her bottom lip.

He laughed and shook his head. "Why would you know me? We have never spoken before now! An introduction is in order." he then put out his hand and Lara took it, "I am…Jason Gate." he said with a moment of hesitation like he forgot but Lara didn't look into it. All she did was shake the hand and say "My name's Larissa Swift."

"Please to meet you Larissa." Jason said with a kind and genuine softness.

She blushed for what felt like the thousandth time and replied, "Likewise."

Suddenly the door at the end of the room swung open and Tawny trooped in.

"Hey! You're awake, that's great! Sorry I took ages there was a massive queue for Reception but anyhow, you're Mum's coming to pick you up and take you home or too the hospital or something like that."

Tawny continued to chat away like this, but all Lara was aware off was the smile of that unbelievable face with the cold hand that still held onto hers carefully.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five**_

Lara was snuggled in bed later that day, staring at the ceiling, her mind lingering on Jason. He had been the only thing on her mind ever since she left him at school.

He was so amazing, it was the only word she felt she could use to explain him. His beautiful face, his glowing golden eyes and sweet voice were bewitching. The way he treated her was the most mystifying thing though. He barely knew her, they were strangers besides the brief encounters they must have had in classes and corridors and yet he had come to her rescue, scooped her up in his arms, took her to the sick room then stayed and cared for her, he didn't need to do any of those things. He had even stayed with her right up to the moment when mum came and picked her up, he even helped her too the car!

She still could remember the way he sat so close to her in the sick room, timidly placing an arm around her waist and pulling her too him protectively. It was strange how forward he was and if he was any other guy she would have been, frankly, freaked out for a stranger to be so forward and possessive. But with him, with Jason, it seemed…right, normal, natural. Like the ring which was now stuck on her finger.

Thinking about it now Lara brought her hand out from where it was under the duvet and held it up in front of her and gazed at it in the dark light of her room. There was only the moon outside casting a eerie silver light into her room to make the ring glint with a white shimmer.

Laying there, Lara wasn't at all frightened about how the ring was stuck to her ring finger. She wasn't even afraid of the fact that she didn't know how the ring ended up on her finger in the first place. All past concerns were all now just a bunch of blurred memories and feelings in her mind that were all eclipsed by Jason.

As she thought of him, Larissa was aware of how great she felt. Ever since she had woken to see Jason's beautiful face looking down on her she felt amazing. Even when she found the ring on her finger and panicked he chased away her fear and sadness with his words and warm embrace. Lara was sure that he could make every worry, fear and sad thought blow away on the breeze just by holding her.

Taking a deep breath, Larissa's hand fell to her side and she turned over onto her front, hugged her pillow happily and drifted easily to sleep with a dreamy smile across her lips.

* * *

Lara opened her eyes again almost instantly after closing them to find herself with her nose pressing against a wall of fractured pieces of mirror.

Surprised, she began to step back but hit another wall of mirror almost instantly. She was trapped in a tiny passageway, unable to move, gazing at the wall or broken mirror before her.

Breathing frantically she panicked. She hated small spaces, especially unbearably small and constricting ones. This was her worst possible nightmare.

Suddenly a bright golden light blinded her, making Larissa forget her fear and close her eyes against the painful light. She could feel it on her eyelids for a while but then it was gone and she opened her eyes timidly.

The light was gone and surprisingly she could see into a room beyond the mirror wall. She realized then it was wall of broken glass, not mirror.

The room beyond was dark the only light coming from a flaming torch on the wall that burned gold, the same gold that blinded her. A gold that seemed familiar.

Staring hard through the shattered glass Lara made out a long passage way made of cold stone and lined with many gold burning torches all disappearing off into the dark distance of the passage. The walls glistened oddly in the golden light, like they were damp and dripping with water.

Lara could feel the coldness of the passage chilling her bare feet and making her skin prickle. A shiver coursed down her spine like a piece of ice was slivering down it, something wasn't right.

And with a start Larissa could see what.

The walls. They were glistening yes but not with water.

It was blood.

She could see the crimson streaming down the walls in thick torrents, pooling on the floor and streaming away along the ground down the passage. It was coming from between the square stones of the wall, bleeding out continuously like some unclosed wound that wouldn't heal.

Lara shrieked in uncontrollable fear and revulsion and even though she heard no sound at all coming from her mouth, the shattered glass walls that trapped her shook and quaked with her unheard sound and suddenly combusted.

Glass exploded in all directions about Larissa as she tumbled forward, falling through darkness before hitting the stone passage's blood stained floor.

Letting out a silent squeal of horror and disgust, Lara jumped up and stared down at the dripping red that she was somehow already drenched in.

Clasping her hands into fists Lara bit her lip, refused to scream again and ignored the blood and tried to think about what to do next instead.

Looking forward she saw the torches leading away into darkness and nothing else, but she was sure something was there. Though no matter how heard she stared Lara could see only the torches and glistening blood.

Sighing she glanced behind expecting too see the same thing but instead she saw a bright, white light, a kind and gentle light that whispered of help and sanctuary from this passage of Hell.

Gasping in happiness, Lara span round and began to run towards the heavenly light frantically, her feet slapping soundlessly on the stone ground.

Then the singing began.

She stopped dead in a second recognising it instantly and she listened to the deep male voice of an angels course effortlessly to her from behind.

Turning round she stared into the darkness and saw nothing still but knew the voice came from there somewhere.

Larissa then had a choice. In front of her was white light, light that held promise and kindness. Behind was the voice, the mysterious voice that surely belonged to the Angel of Ecstasy and it was now calling to her and only her.

_Come to me, _it seemed beckoned hypnotically in its luscious signing, _choose me…_

And without a thought of the light behind her, Lara turned all the way into the dark and began to run towards it until she vanished into nothingness. Only the voice resonated still from nowhere and held onto her now she had chosen.

She had made her choice between the Light and the Dark.

* * *

She was tossing and turning in her bed, murmuring pitifully like a injured dog, clutching her pillow in a panicked fear.

He watched with forced passiveness from the corner of the room, shrouded in darkness though it didn't matter whether he stood in light or not, no one would see him.

He guessed he was use to lingering in the dark, staying silent like the dead and moving about like a ghost wherever he went. After all those years it had became second nature and even now it was still the thing he did without even thinking about it. So many things of his past were with him now in this strange afterlife. He still had his cat like agility and skills, his ungodly and truly gifted voice and his youth had returned, he was a young man again. Maybe this strange existence was a gift, it was defiantly better then life.

As he mused on this she unexpectedly let out a sharp cry in her uneasy sleep. She sounded so terrified and painfully confused that he couldn't ignore her any longer and moved closer.

She was biting her lip hard, her hands were clenched in fierce fists so her knuckles were white, a thin sheen of sweat glimmered on her creased forehead and her eyes moved frantically under their lids.

He moved smoothly to beside her and stood over her for sometime as though he was unable to move any closer or he would be burnt on the shining star that was so painfully close to being his.

Clasping his own long fingered, white hands into fists he over came his own pathetic fear and weakness and managed to perch himself on the edge of her bed.

With a small gasp of shock and indescribable happiness he watched her as she settled a little suddenly. She stopped tossing and turning, stopped biting her lip and her forehead relaxed all at the very same moment he sat beside her.

Weakness came over him again, a different one this time. He felt as though his heart was aching with the strangest sensation as he witnessed how he calmed her so much just by being near her.

No one had ever reacted to him like that before. No one had ever needed him for comfort, no one had ever found protection in him, no one had ever chosen him over everyone else.

He had only ever been wanted once, even then he was only wanted so he could to be a fantasy, a dream, a lie. He wasn't wanted for himself, just to be something else.

But now it wasn't true, _she _needed him, he could feel it, he knew it.

Carefully he reached out for her, hand shaking as he gentle rested it on her clasped fist laying beside her head. His fingers brushed her closed ones as he gently willed them open. Slowly, obediently, they dislodged themselves and loosened, laying flat out so he could rest his hand on hers.

He gazed over her face and felt that ache increase but it was a good pain, a pain he had never truly felt.

Gazing on her with adoration, his mouth involuntarily opened and he began to sing softly to her, whispering a lullaby he had written for another woman many years ago.

Her eyes stopped flickering beneath her eyelids and rested. Her other fist unclenched and she released her pillow from the death grip she had on it and slipped into a sleep that was undisturbed by any nightmares.

She was his, he knew it already. She had chosen him over everything else finally like he had done centuries ago.


End file.
